Once upon a time there used to be a pleasant village whose
people led a simple but yet productive lifestyles. One day a high ranking
member of the army decided that this laid back life style was not good for the
villagers and so he coordinated a takeover of the government of the village.
That was over forty years ago. About twelve years ago the
officer who consolidated power in his own hands , surrounded himself with co
religionists and ruled as a dictator who can never be crossed died. He was very
clever though, and so he made sure that a son of his, an eye doctor, would take
over from him when he dies.
The dictator who would not allow any opposition or
dissenters died but made sure that his successor will be his totally inexperienced
eye doctor son. The Ophthalmologist continued the rule of fear started by his
father but yet made many promises along the way that he would encourage social
equality. Unfortunately he did not put into practice any of the informed
reforms that he had promised. Actually, as opportunities presented themselves
the son God became ever more convinced that his subjects are not smart enough
to rule themselves. He even preached that his one party rule is efficient and
that his entourage is not capable of making any wrong calls. The party was
infallible and all who would oppose it are traitors and imperialist pigs.
Life under the son-God became more difficult than what it
was under his father and he thought that the people in his state are enamoured
of him. One day though, a number of kids were playing an innocent ball game
when they decided that it was about time that they show the authoritarian
authorities that they have had enough and that they will not take it any longer.
Such acts of defiance were deemed to be extremely dangerous
by the absolute son God king. He ordered his subordinates to make a lesson of everyone
who dared question his authority. All the kids were to be arrested, beaten and
then set free.
But the unforeseen took place. Thousands upon thousands from
across the country joined the young and decided that the popular saying “Live free
or die” was an idea whose time has come. They organized demonstrations and
adopted acts of civil defiance in the hope that such peaceful moves will
demonstrate that illegitimacy must go.
But as bad luck would have it, the son God decided that he
will teach all those that dared demand what was theirs in the first place,a lesson.
He ordered his henchman to go out and spread fear among these youthful souls
through beatings, arrests, mistreatments and the random acts of violence. When
these tactics did not prove to be sufficient to dampen the spirits of the
freedom fighters the son-God ordered his tanks, fighter jets, attack
helicopters and cluster bombs to be used indiscriminately. They were. The
result has been close to 100,000 deaths, a million wounded and the leveling of
one city quarter after another over its civilian inhabitants. None of this
would frighten the courageous youth anymore. They had vowed that they will not
stop short of victory.
The son-God did not like any of this. Minions had dared
question his authority He ordered his personal guard to go out in the village
and to wire all the building in the village with explosives. When after almost
4 years of this mayhem it became clear that he could no longer deny the
inevitability of his demise he ordered that every single building in the
village is to be blown up over all its inhabitants. He had to go out in a blaze
of glory. What a meaningless loss and what a fool he was.
4 comments:
Is this a story about the benefits of having a benevolent leader who seeks self-glory backed by religious claims, and, of course, a good amount of brutal force?
These fictional stories are only in the so-called holly books that no modern human takes seriously. No?
Isn't that village regime secular or not? How can they have a son-god?
George,
I am totally dumbfounded when the press and others keep on referring to Syria as secular. What is it that makes it secular?
BTW, the father in the fictitious parable is God :-)
George,
No Arab society is secular since legitimacy is derived from Islam. Note that the king of Saudi Arabia is not referred to as a king but is usually described as "The Protector of the Two Holy Sites".
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